How to find people to play with

You have chosen a game and worked out what you need. Then comes the question that stops more beginners than any rulebook ever has: who do you actually play with? A roleplaying game asks for people around the table, and if you do not already have a group, that can feel like the biggest hurdle of all. It is not. Groups are made more often than they are found, and almost everyone at a table was once exactly where you are now.

Here are the honest ways in, from the people already near you to the wider world beyond.

Start with the people you know

The easiest group is often hiding in plain sight. A friend who likes board games, a partner curious about what you have been reading, a sibling, a colleague who once mentioned Dungeons & Dragons in passing. You do not need seasoned players; you need willing ones. A first session is more fun with people who make you laugh than with strangers who know every rule.

You need fewer people than you think, too. Many games run beautifully with three or four, and plenty work with just two. You do not have to assemble a full party before you can begin.

Look for a local table

If your own circle comes up empty, the hobby has gathering places. A game shop is the classic one: many host open evenings, beginner sessions, or a board where players post that they are looking. Libraries, cafes, and community centres sometimes run game nights too. Student towns often have a society for it.

The advantage of a table near you is simple. You meet face to face, you can ask questions, and someone experienced is usually happy to walk newcomers through their first evening. Walking in alone takes a little courage, but you will rarely be the only newcomer there.

Go online to find your group

When there is nothing nearby, or your hours are awkward, the internet opens the door wide. There are communities built entirely around finding players, where you can say what you want to play, when you are free, and whether you are new. Many groups now play online with video and virtual dice, so distance stops mattering. A beginner in a small town can join a patient, welcoming table on the other side of the country.

When you look, be clear that you are new and say what you are after. The good groups will value that honesty, and the ones that do not are not the groups you wanted anyway.

Start small if that suits you

You do not have to leap straight into a months-long campaign with five strangers. A one-shot, a single self-contained session, is a low-pressure way to meet people and try the water. So is a game for two, where you and one other person share the story with no wider group to organise. And if you would rather begin entirely on your own terms, a solo game lets you learn the feel of play with no one else to find at all. Any of these can become the doorway to a group later.

And then?

Finding people is less about luck than about saying, out loud, that you would like to play. Ask the friend. Walk into the shop. Post the message. Most tables started with exactly that small, slightly nervous step.

Still weighing up what to play with them? Go back to how to choose your first roleplaying game. Not sure what to bring? See what you actually need to start playing. And if playing alone appeals while you gather a group, browse our solo and journaling games, made for a table of one.